Does anyone mess around with BP meds?
I don't know whether it's anything to do with PMR, or even OA, mine yo-yos like mad so I 'adjust' accordingly. Had a Nephrology appointment this week and she told me off. "You must take the tablets every day". However last week on two days it was 108/65 and three days at between 130-150/68. Don't know what to do!
It doesn't really help to adjust like that as their effect on BP is often a cumulative one. The upper reading isn't really the one to go by - all sorts of things affect that including stress and your bottom reading is the same so it is fine. However - you might ask them to try to get it up a bit as it is pretty low for your age and if you are having dizzy spells that might be helped with a slightly higher BP to keep the brain supplied 
A close friend who is a vascular surgeon used to go mad about GPs who tried to get older patients BPs down down down - because then neither the head nor the feet get as much blood as is good for them.
And that is part of why Alle Wetter does their bio-wetter forecast - it tells you when you might be struggling because of low BP so you can watch out.
Yes but - 108/65?? If I take a tablet on that day it will decrease even more.
It's fine and no it shouldn't - the tablets don't usually work like that. And OH's is high at that level!! It's the second, lower figure that is important and it is stable. The 130 or 108 figure is influenced by other things, What is more likely is that NOT taking the tablet will result in a higher reading the NEXT day.
But that's the point - it doesn't! Sometimes it's low for three or four days - THEN it goes back to what I call normal.
PMRpro can you say what your friend would recommend as an appropriate range for the lower number for someone over 70? Actually both numbers?
My BP is controlled by moderate medication and I monitor it regularly. I say moderate medication because the dose and numbers of drugs needed at higher prednisone doses was crazy. I now only take 8 mg of candesartan.
My upper number is kept below 140, and the bottom number ranges between the mid 60's to upper 70's. occasionally higher, but not often. I have often wondered if my weakness and foggy brain have been the result of the lower number being too low. Of course, I've done all sorts of research to no avail, low BP for my age is touted as 90/60. My GP doesn't have any issue with my BP record which I share with him on every visit. The only thing I did find interesting was an article describing how the Heart Association recommendation for normal BP has decreased regularly over the years as new BP medications were introduced.
If I stop the medication both numbers increase substantially.
I don't remember what Peter thought was a good range - I think it had more to do with perfusion being improved in the legs when the BP was allowed to go up and he just went by the evidence. I don't know the details but at one point I was told that my medication suppressed the high stuff while letting the lower levels continue (if you see what I mean). Have you had the blood flow in your legs checked out?
Hi, l take mine like Pred everyday no matter what, l have taken my BP & recorded it, it’s now well within Normal Range but GP has always said, just continue....
I’d take your BP twice a day, once in the morning when you’re rested & later in the day again after you’ve been sitting for a while, then you can present this to your Dr(s) for them to review.
I have never known anyone suggest adjusting your BP Meds yourself but others may know different.
Kind Regards
Angela x
I've done it for years and I'm still alive.😂😂😂
So why did you ask for our advice in the first place if you didn't want our input?
What you really need to do is take the medications as prescribed, keep a diary of your dosages, blood pressure readings, what you ate/drank that day, what you were doing before you took the reading, what symptoms you experience and how you're feeling in general...
Take that and whatever device you're using to take you blood pressure to your doctor and demonstrate how you use it, discuss diet, exercise, dosage, dosage timing, other medications and their interactions, and alternative drugs. And don't forget to report the vitamins, supplements and herbal teas etc.
Perhaps you need a different medication, a different dose, or other modifications.
But messing around with your BP medication just isn't cutting it, especially if you've you been doing it for years. '
It's obviously not working, even if you are still around.
Says in most paperwork that it doesn’t matter what time of the day you take them - but to stick to the same time every day!
Hmm, I don’t think anyone could condone altering bp meds without a doc’s knowledge or advice. What does your doc think about the instability of your bp? Does it link with activity or Pred dosing? Also, you don’t know if it is like a switch where the response you see is directly due to that dose or the previous change. An inconsistent dose might be making over or under reaction that you never quite catch up with so you risk your yo-yo’s getting more extreme and I expect the type of drug will make a difference too. No idea, because it is only one person on a particular drug, but my grandmother used to “mess around” with her bp meds and she died of a massive stroke.
Alright, alright, don't put the wind up
me!🤣
I'm trying to get to a doctor but mine is away for 4 weeks, one in the practice is i'll, so.......!
I would certainly have a care with that and wouldn’t change anything without advice. Both your readings are within normal limits, 130/90 Your systolic is the reading that’s most variable and can depend on a lot of factors including stress. I can get some frightening readings by working myself up, I wouldn’t be concerned about the diastolic either unless as PMR says you are getting symptoms. The best indication of your BP would be 24 hour monitoring, that gives a proper picture of where you are. I would speak to your doctor
Take care
🥂
Just reading this back and it’s not clear, 130/90 is the upper limit for BP, treatment is recommended if it’s higher than that 🥂
Stress? What's that?
GOOD GRIEF did!😂
Great ,clear advice i agree100% !
Mine has recently started to behave just like yours - usually 130s/80s then 100/70 ish for a week. Then back to normal. I've always suspected that pred caused my BP to rise, and it dropped down when I reached a very low pred dose. I'm currently experimenting with cutting down the dose and monitoring my BP daily. I suspect if I mention it to my GP they will err on the side of caution and tell me to carry on, but I may do anyway when we next speak.
Oooops! I've been told off - again.😂
The trouble is I've had a lot of ups and downs with my BP. Started at 230/160 - that was 40 years ago. It settled after medication and was OK(ish) until PMR hit me. I think that's why I can't get my head round it. I have been hospitalised 4 times in the last five years (blood pressure dropping too quickly and collapsing). I have had every possible test since then to try and see why this happens. I was even fitted with a heart monitor a couple of years ago but my body rejected it and it worked out of my body. That's why I started what I thought was a good idea and 'adjusted' when needed. It seems to work for me. All I know is the specialists haven't been able to advise me. I'll "again" see my doctor when he returns - but .......!
No one is telling you off, we are just worried for you, even more so with this additional information. I do sympathise, I had to be rescued from the jungle in India hunting tigers, I blew up like a balloon and BP was 225/120 decided better go home rather quickly.
These labile BPs are a worry and since you have had such problems it’s even more complex. Mine is now normal with a diastolic of around 60 courtesy of 4 drugs. The systolic has a go so I always taking twice. I try to stop myself from neurotically taking it to often as I even give myself white coat hypotension.
Take care
🥂
I'm glad someone else is going through what I'm experiencing, C! I take three meds for HBP, doxazosin has been upped from 1mg to 6mg in the past few months. It's frustrating because I've implemented all the life style changes...low salt, exercise, weight control...and I have for a long time. It's hard to fight your genes!
All I can add to this thread is that last year, after using a surgery blood pressure monitor 5 times per day for 5 days, my BP was all over the place - up and down like a yo-yo. Often, the highest measure of the day was first thing in the morning, before I even got out of bed. Various meds were tried and nothing much changed. For another reason, I spent 2 weeks in hospital in November, where they became quite excited about the variation. They stopped BP meds and gave me 1 Furosemide tablet per day.(diuretics). BP fixed at around 120/70 and I am in my 60s. Who'd have thought. I always had a small amount of swelling around my ankles, which was attributed to my RA. That has gone completely. Apparently the amount of fluid retained can explain the huge variations in BP readings. Who knew?
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